Chittagong

The second city of Bangladesh and its main port — around 3.4 million people on the shore of the Bay of Bengal. It is one of the oldest sea ports in South Asia, mentioned by Ptolemy in the 2nd century AD, and an important trading post for Arabs, Portuguese, Dutch and British in turn. It is the gateway to the longest unbroken sea beach in the world at Cox's Bazar (120 km) and to the little-known Chittagong Hill Tracts (Bandarban, Rangamati). Less touristy than Dhaka, and more like the real Bangladesh.

Main sights

• Shahi Jama-e-Masjid (Andarkilla) — Chittagong's principal mosque, built in Ottoman style in 1666.
• Chittagong Commonwealth War Cemetery — a memorial to British and Commonwealth soldiers of the Second World War, with 731 graves.
• Patenga Beach — the main city beach, 14 km out, and the place everyone goes in the evening.
• Foy's Lake — a large artificial freshwater lake in the middle of the city, with a theme park.
• The Ethnological Museum — the only one in Bangladesh, covering the cultures of the Chittagong Hill Tracts.
• Kadam Mubarak Mosque — 18th century.
• Court Building Hill — a viewpoint over the city, in the former British colonial quarter.
• Bayazid Bostami Mazar — a 15th-century Sufi shrine with a turtle pond; legend says the turtles are transformed djinn.
• Cox's Bazar — the longest unbroken sea beach in the world (120 km), 150 km away, and the country's leading tourist destination.
• Bandarban — a mountain region 100 km out, with Marma, Mru and Bawm villages. The main points are Nilgiri Hill and Boga Lake.
• Rangamati — another hill town, on the artificial Kaptai Lake.
• Saint Martin's Island — the only coral island in Bangladesh, 9 km off the southern tip of the country, near Myanmar.
• The Sundarbans — the largest mangrove forest in the world, a UNESCO site and home to Bengal tigers, 8-10 hours by road from Chittagong.

Food and prices

The cooking is Bengali: Chattogram biryani (the local speciality), mezban (the great local occasion — communal feasts with six to eight dishes), khichuri, ilish (hilsa, the national fish), macher jhol and sondesh. Lunch at a local place is $3-7, dinner in a restaurant $8-25. Alcohol is all but unavailable. A litre of petrol costs $1, an Uber or Pathao ride $3-10, a rickshaw $1-3.

Getting there

Shah Amanat International Airport (CGP) is served by Biman Bangladesh, Emirates, Qatar and Saudia. A taxi into the centre is $5-8. From Dhaka (DAC) it is a 45-minute flight ($50-100) or the Subarna Express train, 6-7 hours ($5-15). Around town you use Uber and Pathao, rickshaws and taxis. Bangladesh requires most visitors to arrange a visa before travelling, though visa on arrival exists for some nationalities — check the current rules for your passport well before you fly.

When to go

November to February is dry at 18-28°C and ideal. Spring (March-May) is extremely hot, 32-40°C. The monsoon (June-October) brings torrential rain and cyclones, with May and October the riskiest months. Main events: Bengali New Year (Pohela Boishakh) on 14 April, and Eid al-Fitr.